The Alerting Authority
The Alerting Authority is a podcast dedicated to improving how we warn the public when seconds matter. Hosted by Jeanette Sutton, a leading researcher in public alerts and warnings, and Eddie Bertola, an expert in emergency communications technology, the show brings together practitioners, policymakers, technologists, and thought leaders shaping the future of public alerting.
Each episode dives deep into real-world challenges behind creating, issuing, and delivering life-saving alerts. From Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to IPAWS implementation, crisis messaging, public behavior, and alerting policy, the hosts explore what works, what fails, and why.
Rather than focusing solely on tools or software, The Alerting Authority examines the “human side” of emergency communication—decision-making under pressure, message design, training gaps, coordination across agencies, and the psychology of how people interpret warnings.
The podcast aims to empower emergency managers, communicators, and public safety professionals with actionable insights, practical guidance, and candid conversations with the people who have shaped, studied, and experienced alerting at every level.
Whether you’re responsible for issuing alerts, designing systems, researching risk communication, or simply interested in how warnings save lives, The Alerting Authority is your go-to source for understanding and improving public alerting in a complex and rapidly evolving world.
Episodes
25 episodes
Why Emergency Alerts Fail: Craig Fugate on Public Warning Mistakes - Alerting Authority Rewind
This episode is a rewind from our very first premiere of The Alerting Authority.In this debut conversation, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate for a candid, no-nonsense look at ...
Inside New York’s Missing Persons Alert Overhaul with Tim Williams
How do you write a missing persons alert that actually gets the public to respond?In this episode of The Alerting Authority, Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Tim Williams, Program Manager of the New York State Mi...
Animals and Emergencies: Real-Life Chaos, Companion Pets, and Disaster Preparedness
What happens when emergencies involve your pets or animals? In this lively and unfiltered episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Eddie Bertola and Jeannette Sutton bring in their pets—complete with roaming goats, curious cats, and pl...
Missing Persons Alerts Explained: AMBER, Ashanti & WEA—What Works, What Fails, and What Saves Lives | Sponsored by Everbridge
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with veteran alerting leader Carri Gordon to break down the evolution, effectiveness, and future of missing persons alerts.With nearly ...
Do Alerts Really Work? RAND Study Part II | Who Gets Missed, Opt-Outs, & Alert Fatigue Explained
In Part II of our deep dive into the groundbreaking RAND national alerting study, we go beyond the headline stat that 91% of Americans received the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) and uncover the real story: who didn’t—and why it matt...
When the Mountain Burned: Inside the Ruidoso Wildfires and the Alert That Saved a Town
In this gripping episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Eric Queller, Emergency Manager for the mountain community of Ruidoso, to unpack one of the most intense wildfire response operations in ...
Training 190 Alert Senders, Preventing WEA Mistakes & Reaching Every Community: Inside San Diego’s Alerting System
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Dan Vasquez, former Alert & Warning Coordinator for the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services, to b...
Frozen Iguanas, Winter Storm Alerts, WEA Messaging & Emergency Communication Best Practices
In this episode of the Alerting Authority Podcast, Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola discuss winter storm alerts, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), and real-world emergency communication examples from across the United States. From the 2022 Buf...
Inside the FEMA National Alert: Deanne Criswell on Sending the U.S. Emergency Alert
Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell joins The Alerting Authority, sponsored by HQE Systems, to discuss what it was really like to send the nationwide IPAWS emergency alert to every phone in the United States.In this episode, Crisw...
Engagement Before Emergency: Building Buy-In Before Disaster Strikes
This episode of The Alerting Authority features emergency manager Ashley Morris, whose journey from childhood storm enthusiast in New Mexico to community-focused alerting leader in Central Texas blends meteorology, public engagement, a...
Inclusive Emergency Alerting & Access Needs in Disasters with Vance Taylor | Cal OES & Whole Community Leadership
How can emergency alerts truly reach everyone, especially people with disabilities and access/ functional needs?In this powerful episode, we welcome Vance Taylor, Chief of the Office of Access and Functional Needs at the Califor...
Are We Over-Alerting? Arkansas Winter Storm WEA Strategy & Building Community Trust
When severe winter weather hit Arkansas, only one county issued multiple Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs). Was it over-alerting or a powerful example of proactive leadership?In this episode of The Alerting Authority, Dr. Jeannet...
Emergency Alerting at the World’s Busiest Airport: How Atlanta Airport Manages Crisis Communication at Scale
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, emergency management and communications leaders from Atlanta International Airport (ATL) take listeners inside the complex world of alerting, warnings, and crisis communication at the b...
Inside the Tsunami Warning System: What Really Happened During the 2024 West Coast Alert—and How Emergency Alerts Must Evolve
In December 2024, millions of people across California, Oregon, and the San Francisco Bay Area received a sudden Wireless Emergency Alert warning of a possible tsunami—an alert that stopped daily life in its tracks and raised urgent ques...
Saving Lives Under Pressure: Pete Gaynor on Alerts, Leadership, FEMA, and the Future of Disaster Recovery
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Pete Gaynor, former FEMA Administrator and current President of Bright Harbor, for an in-depth and candid conversation abou...
Emergency Alerts Explained: Marin County’s Approach to Tsunami Warnings, WEA, and Public Safety Communication
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola sit down with Steve Torrance, Director of Emergency Management for Marin County, California, to explore how one of the nation...
Clear Alerts Save Lives—Confusing Ones Create Chaos
What happens when an emergency alert is sent without enough information—or with the wrong information altogether?In this episode of The Alerting Authority, Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola break down a real-world emergency ale...
Do Wireless Emergency Alerts Really Reach the Public? Inside the RAND Study on WEA Coverage, Opt-Outs, and Alert Fatigue
Do Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) actually reach the people they are intended to warn? And what happens after the alert hits a phone? In this in-depth episode, emergency management practitioners, researchers, and alerting authorities come toge...
Nick Crossley on Building an Effective Alert and Warning Program
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola are joined by Nick Crossley, Director of Emergency Management and Homeland Security for Hamilton County, Ohio, to explore w...
Seconds Matter: Earthquake Early Warnings, False Alerts, and the Critical Need for Post-Alert Communication
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola take a deep dive into earthquake early warning systems, focusing on a recent ShakeAlert activation in California and Nevada that ultimately turned out ...
Amber Alerts, Jargon, and Missed Opportunities: Lessons from Atlanta
During a family trip to Atlanta, Eddie’s phone — along with thousands of others — blared an Amber Alert inside the Coca-Cola Museum. But what should have been a clear, actionable notification turned into a case study in how alerts fail...
How Wireless Emergency Alerts Really Work | Dr. Michele Wood on The Alerting Authority
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola speak with one of the most influential researchers in the field of public warning systems: Dr. Michele Wood. As a core member of the team that dev...
How People React to Alerts: Dr. John Sorensen Breaks Down Warning Behavior
In this episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola welcome one of the world’s leading experts in disaster communication and public warning behavior: Dr. John Sorensen. With decades of research at O...
From Weak Alerts to Strong Warnings: The Message Design Dashboard in Action
In this compelling episode, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola take listeners behind the scenes of real-world Wireless Emergency Alerts — including a recent missing teen case in Pea Ridge, Arkansas — to show how evidence-bas...
Craig Fugate on Why Emergency Managers Fail at Warning the Public | The Alerting Authority
In this premiere episode of The Alerting Authority, hosts Jeannette Sutton and Eddie Bertola welcome former FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate for a powerful, no-nonsense conversation about the real challenges facing em...